Dancing On Ice 2010 – 7th February 2010, Liveblogged!

Only ten celebs left on Dancing On Ice to show us how good – or bad – they’ve become at skating since the series started. Torvill and Dean work their usual magic to a version of Use Somebody sung by Pixie Lott. It’s almost unfair having two champions come along and set a high standard of skating, then throwing the unfortunate and often uncoordinated celebrities on to follow them. But we love it.

Tonight’s required element is a ‘pair spin’ where both skaters revolve on the ice – they must do two revolutions with one leg raised, which looks like an elegant move, if it can be done correctly! Phillip Schofield introduces the judges – making a subtle reference to the tabloid storm that Jason Gardiner caused last week when he likened Olympic swimmer Sharon Davies to fecal matter. All eyes will be on the white-toothed one to see if he repeats that performance tonight, or if he’s been told to tone it down.

Gary Lucy

Gary takes a masterclass from former funnyman Brian Conley in self-confidence? Stage presence? What was that intro all about, anyway? Back to the skating, and I’m not digging it. Gary’s skating is fine, it’s just not a very engaging routine. For me. Maybe you enjoyed it?

Points: 18.5. Emma: Slowly but surely, we are getting to see the real Gary. I can see your personality coming through. Nicky: Whilst it wasn’t as clean and assured as it could be, it really is wonderful to see you having fun and letting go. Act rockstar out there on the ice. Robin: Get off those toe-picks, enjoy it and stop making excuses for being good.

Heather Mills

I think we heard some booing from the audience when Heather came out. Macca must be in the house tonight? Dancing to Chain Of Fools, it’s a good performance. You may dislike her, but Mills can skate very well. She has some issues with her leg when she’s skating, but persevered with it nicely.

Points: 15.0 Karen: I took .5 off because there was just one rotation on the required element. Jason: Last week was so shaky and uncertain. I was impressed this week with the control you showed on the ice. Not bad. Robin: What may not come across is the speed of the attack the two of you use on the ice. Well done.

Danny Young

Not even remotely famous soap actor Danny is taking on Tiny Dancer by Sir Elton of John tonight. A bit like Gary Lucy, Danny has all the right moves, but sometimes it doesn’t feel like he’s connecting with the routines. Better than Gary, definitely, but still needs a bit more showmanship.

Points: 17.0 Nicky: My base mark was Gary, and although you didn’t get the spin, you’re doing big lifts, very strongly. Go to ballet class again this week, get more comfortable with the ice. Jason: I can see an improved arm line. When you are getting those lifts, and you are able to do them, show off a little bit more, so they look more impressive than they are.

Emily Atack

Emily, aka ‘the hot one’ could be in major trouble this week. Dancing to Gwen Stefani’s The Sweet Escape, she’s very stiff and uncomfortable throughout the routine, mostly being shifted around the ice by her partner. Yes, the costume is noteworthy for the lads, but the skating’s not impressive.

Points: 15.0. Emma: I am pleasantly surprised. Emily, you looked confident, you looked sexy. I know you found it really difficult last week, but look what happened! I love that you can skate on your own. Nicky: I love the way that you were just daring to present and stretch out. There’s more to come, there’s the linking of the movement now. Jason: By far, this was your best week. Watch the arms, because they don’t develop, they’re just here and there. Watch the jaw – have you got an underbite? – you stick it forward, pull it back.

Mikey Graham

Mikey and Melanie are out next, and I have to confess, I didn’t think he’d be any good on this show. I mean, what can a Boyzone singer do in a competition like this? Well, a lot as it turns out. He’s smooth, and presents himself with confidence and style. You can forgive him the odd stumble when he’s otherwise so good.

Points: 15.0. Robin: It’s difficult and challenging to do mohawks. If you’re going to do mohawks, and do the work with the feet, it has to be correct. It’s not dissimilar to Danny. Karen: I’m one of your biggest fans. It’s not that you can’t do it, but it’s just not consistent yet. It’s a blip, that’s all it is, we’ll just get more consistent.

Sharron Davies

Sharron and Pavel return after ‘shitgate’, when Jason Gardiner’s comments were inspired more by the colour of their costumes than the quality of their dancing! Yeah, they’re wearing black costumes tonight. Watch Gardiner slam them for looking like a pair of Goths… Dancing to Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car, I think Sharron’s getting a little bit more elegant in her skating – it’s not like Pavel’s dragging a plank of wood around the rink. Much improvement? I think so.

Points: 16.5. Nicky: You’re a tall couple, so you have presence on the ice. It has a lovely flow for me. It is coming on, and your general skating is coming on and has quality. Jason: What a difference a week can make. I actually saw that there was some real grace. You have an improved leg line. Sometimes your upper body is very stiff. What you need to do is learn to extend beyond yourself.

Kieron Richardson

Skinny Hollyoaks actor Kieron is actually a better skater than I give him credit for. Tonight’s performance has a bit of comedy thrown in, and he has great chemistry with his partner. Costumes are hilarious though.

Points: 16.0. Robin: So much more natural to see you performing to music you can connect to. You were in control, you were leading your partner and it was a much much better performance to see. Emma: You really make me smile. I love that you’re skating independently, you’re very strong. Some of your dance moves are a little bit awkward.

Hayley Tamaddon

Hayley’s all set up for that headbanger move – you know, the one where the guy spins her by the feet and her head comes dangerously close to the ice? I love Hayley on the ice, she’s just so natural, and fun. Of course, as I type that, the two of them fall over each other. The rest of the routine is actually quite acutely affected by the stumble, but they go ahead and do the headbanger move. We hid behind our hands in the livingroom!

Points: 21.0. Karen: Not great to see. I brought it down because of the fall. There was so much good about it though. Robin: The rest of it was absolutely sensational. We’ll have forgotten this in a couple of weeks time!

Dr. Hilary

Hilary and Alexandra take to the ice, dancing to Truly Madly Deeply by Savage Garden. Hilary’s skating has got better in recent weeks, but he’s still at a no-gimmicks style of skating, where everything he does looks solid and graceful, but not very intricate or interesting. The announcer quips that it’s “not Formula 1, more like NHS waiting list speed”.

Points: 11.5. Jason: The thing is, what is missing from you performance – there’s a lot of things missing – but you’re so stiff. We’re just not getting the content at all. It’s the same routines set to different music. Karen: I think there is improvement. It was your best routine. The lift was solid, but unfortunately there was only one spin, so you lost marks. Emma: You have improved and you should be proud of yourself. You’re doing it for all the dads out there. You’re doing a good job, and you should be proud of yourself.

Daniella Westbrook

Struggling with her routine this week, Danielle and her partner get sent to a tango specialist. Will it work? Probably. Westbrook is a bit of a dark horse in this competition – she’s good without being flashy about it or drawing attention to herself. Dancing to Dance With Me – that’s an old track by Debelah Morgan, pop fans – Daniella pulls off a hot routine.

Points: 20.0. Emma: The tango is one of my favourite ballroom dances. I think some of it needed a bit more attack and to be a bit sexier. Well done. Robin: A bit more attitude. But we saw a different side to you from last week.

That’s it for tonight’s liveblog. We’ll be back later on with the results and to tell you who gets booted off Dancing On Ice tonight!